Short-Term Rental Laws in San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio operates a two-type permit system: Type 1 (Owner-Occupied) STRs are permitted by right in nearly all residential zones — operator must reside in the unit as primary residence. Type 2 (Non-Owner-Occupied) STRs are capped at 12.5% of total residences per block face in single-family residential districts (R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, RM-4, RM-5, RM-6, MF-25, MF-33, MF-40). When a block face hits the cap, no new Type 2 permits issue until existing ones lapse. Type 2 is permitted by right in mixed-use, commercial, and downtown districts without the block-face cap.

Type 1 (owner-occupied): allowed in all residential zones with primary-residence test. Type 2 (non-owner-occupied / investor): allowed in commercial/mixed-use/downtown zones by right; in single-family residential subject to the 12.5% block-face cap. Verify your target block's saturation via the San Antonio Development Services STR map before any offer. The Bohannan ruling permits this density cap because it's tied to zoning/use intensity rather than a blanket use-class ban.

Operators must hold a short-term rental permit before listing. See the official permit portal.

San Antonio Development Services administers the STR permit program. Annual $100 fee. Application requires designated 24/7 local responsible-party, life-safety self-certification (smoke + CO detectors, posted occupancy, fire extinguisher), parking plan, and insurance. Operating without a permit: $500+ per violation, accumulating daily. The city cross-references Airbnb/Vrbo against the permit + HOT registry; back-tax assessments + permit revocation follow non-compliance.

Combined short-term lodging tax in San Antonio is approximately 16.750% of gross nightly revenue (state sales + state TRT + local TRT + applicable resort/city options).

Texas State HOT 6% + Bexar County HOT 1.75% + San Antonio city HOT 9% — combined ~16.75% on transient lodging

Verify the current combined rate via the Utah State Tax Commission before remitting — rates drift quarterly.